Türkiye claim second VNL title propelled by unstoppable Vargas
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Only a few weeks away from an eagerly anticipated CEV EuroVolley on home soil, Türkiye triumphed in Sunday’s final of the women’s Volleyball Nations League 2026 against Brazil to lift the trophy for the second time in the history of the competition, after securing their maiden title in 2023. They also have one silver and one bronze in their collection. The South Americans once again stopped just short of claiming their first VNL gold and had to settle for their fifth silver. Earlier in the day at the VNL Finals in Macau, reigning Olympic and World champions Italy grabbed the bronze following a 3-1 victory over China.
Türkiye’s opposite Melissa Vargas was honoured as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the women’s VNL 2026. She also emerged as the best scorer of a single VNL final match ever. In a thrilling gold medal showdown in front of four thousand fans in the stands in Macau, Türkiye put together a 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-21) turnaround victory over Brazil.
It was Türkiye’s fewer unforced errors – 12 against 17 by Brazil – that made the biggest difference in the match. The winners also slightly outplayed their opponents in blocking, by 14-13 in stuffs. Melissa Vargas was by far the best scorer of the game with a solid 33 points to her name, the most anyone has ever scored in a VNL final match in either gender. Spiking at a 51% success rate, she delivered 27 points in attack and added three aces and three kill blocks to her impressive tally. Outside hitters Hande Baladin and Ilkin Aydin put away 19 and 15 points, respectively.
Gizem Örge“I do not know how to put it in words! Really! It was a really tough game and I want to congratulate Brazil. Their fight was incredible! It was a really great final game. I played with a really big pain in my knee… I am so proud of everyone, who put in their efforts for this team. We did an amazing job! I am so happy!”
Libero and captain of Türkiye
Reigning World and Olympic champions Italy settled for bronze as they recovered from their semi-final loss to Brazil on Saturday at the VNL Finals in Macau and put together a four-set victory over hosts China on Sunday to make the podium. Powered by Ekaterina Antropova, winners of the previous two VNL editions Italy disappointed the home crowd in Macau with a 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13) win over China and added the first bronze to their VNL medal collection, which also features three golds.